Warp knitting machine with a mechanism for saving pattern chain links



Sept. 8, 1970 zwm R E ETAL 3,527,066 V WARP KNITTING MACHINE WITH A MECHANISM FOR SAVING PATTERN CHAIN LINKS I Filed July 1; 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

ARA/0 EWING a/Beesae OZ'AA/D- 0/0/09 I Flier/12y p 7 A. ZWINGENBERGER E AL 2 v WARP K 3,527,066 NITTING MACHINE WITH A MECHANISM FOR SAVING PATTERN CHAIN LINKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1:

Filed July 1, 1968 Kiri/5555. m

United States Patent Office 3,527,066 Patented Sept. 8, 1970 3,527,066 WARP KNITTING MACHINE WITH A MECHANISM FOR SAVING PATTERN CHAIN LINKS Arno Zwingenberger, Marxgrun, Adolf Hiigel, Bobengrun, and Roland Wunner, Bernstein am Wald, Germany, assignors to Karl Liebrandt, Naila, Bavaria, Germany Filed July 1, 1968, Ser. No. 741,413 Claims priority, application Ggrmany luly 26, 1962,

US. C]. 66-86 4 Claims ABSTRACTVOF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in warp knitting machines.

'It is known in the art of such machines to control the levers actuating the pattern guide bars by means of pattern chains laid over one or two pattern drums. Machines of this type are commonly used for the production of curtain nets and tulle fabrics having very long repeats of the pattern. The longer the repeat, the longer must be the pattern chains to produce the patterned portion of the fabric and then to bridge the intermediate portion between two consecutive patterns. In order to save pattern chain links, it has become known to switch the pattern drum in and out of operation by a clutch controlled by a counting or switching drum, thus to stop intermittently the movement of the pattern chains effecting the reciprocating movements of the guide bars. However, very expensive gear means were necessary for this switching of the pattern drum.

An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a novel and improved warp knitting machine with a chain link saving mechanism of simple and inexpensive, yet reliable construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel warp knitting machine of the type described, in which the driving half of the clutch is rotating with the same speed which is necessary for the pattern drum and is controlled by a counting or switching drum, the rotational speed of which is a fraction of the pattern drum speed by the number of courses of the ground structure repeat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel warp knitting machine of the type described, in which two or more pattern drums are accommodated on a common shaft each driven by a separate clutch, the switching of the clutches exclusively depending upon a counting or switching drum by suitably actuating the clutch halves coordinated to the corresponding pattern drum.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel warp knitting machine having switchable pattern drums in combination with a further pattern drum fixedly attached to the common shaft between two other drums to produce uninterrupted trimming or bordures on the ground fabric, which was heretofore impossible with known link saving mechanisms and greatly enlarges the application range of this kind of machines.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of the knitting machine, showing schematically the various components of the novel link saving mechanism and the connection to the remainder of the machine;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view as seen from the right side of FIG. 1;

hIiIG. 3 shows a pattern drum fixedly attached to its s a t.

As can be seen from the drawings, the guide bars 22 of the machine carrying numerous guides 24 are caused to undergo, against the action of return springs 23, a reciprocating movement through the connecting bars 21 which bear against the upper end of alternating levers 20. Each lever, being pivoted at the other end, performs a swinging motion caused by a cam follower 19 which is in continuous contact with the links of a pattern chain 25. The various pattern chains are laid around pattern drums 4 and 5, respectively.

The pattern drums are loosely rotatable on a common shaft 3 being driven from the eccentric shaft 1 through the worm gear 2. The shaft 3 rotates with the usual speed ratio of 1:16 (1 link per course).

Both pattern drums rotate with the shaft 3 only if switched in by clutches 7 and 9, respectively. This can be effected separately or commonly. It is also possible to stop both pattern drums simultaneously. The clutches 7 and 9 effecting the switching of the pattern drums are actuated by switching links 18 running over a special switching drum 12 and forming a switching chain (see FIG. 2). The switching drum 12 is fixedly geared to the shaft 3 over gear wheels 10 and 11 and rotates continuously with a speed of /3 or /s of the speed of shaft 3, the ground structure repeat being 3 or 5 courses, respectively. The drum 12 can be provided with two grooves like a pattern drum to accommodate normal chain links. Thus, it is possible to use normal pattern links type 0 (height 9.53 mm.) and type 22 (height 25.05 mm.; 36 ggH) as switching links.

The grooves for the switching links are designated with 15 and 16 in FIG. 1. The chain links actuate two clutches 7 and 9 through push-rods 17, 17a, angular levers 13, 13a and levers 14, 14a against the action of return springs 26, 26a anchored to the frame of the machine. If a rise occurs on groove 15 from a chain link type 0 to a chain link type 22, the clutch is switched off and the pattern drum 4 stops. After a descent from 22 to 0 the clutch is switched on and the pattern drum 4again starts rotation. In an analogous manner, the groove 16 controls the clutch 7 switching the pattern drum 5.

FIG. 3 shows how a further pattern drum 27 may be fixedly attached to the shaft 3 between the switchable pattern drums 4 and 5 of the patterning arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

The pattern chains can be built up in the usual manner, e.g. one pattern link per course. After the last chain link, a number of blanks must be provided depending on the number of courses to the next pattern on the ground fabric. The blanks have the same height as the last and first link of the patterning part of the chain. The ground fabric repeat is normally three or five loops per diamond, so that the entire number of courses of the pattern proper and of the portion between the patterns must also be dividable by 3 or 5, respectively.

The utilisation of two pattern drums makes it possible to shift the pattern mechanisms, and even to build up the pattern chains of drum 4 for another pattern than those of drum 5.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that various changes may be made in specific components and arrangements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. Warp knitting machine with a mechanism for saving pattern chain links, comprising a number of guide bars, a shaft carrying at least one pattern drum, pattern chains running over said pattern drum for effecting a reciprocating movement of said guide bars through alternating levers to produce patterns in spaced relation on a ground structure, clutch means on said shaft, the driving half of said clutch means rotating with said shaft with the speed necessary for said pattern drum, and a switching drum controlling said clutch means in relation to the length of the pattern repeat to switch said pattern drum in and out of rotation with said shaft, said switching drum being driven with a rotational speed which is a fraction of the speed of said shaft by the number of courses of the ground structure repeat.

2. Warp knitting machine according to claim 1, comprising more than one pattern drum loosely rotatable on said shaft, each provided with individual clutch means controlled independently by said switching drum.

3. Warp knitting machine according to claim 2, additionally comprising a further pattern drum fixedly attached to said shaft between two pattern drums driven by switchable clutches.

4. Warp knitting machine according to claim 1, said switching drum being provided with grooves adapted to accommodate chain links of the type used in pattern chains and acting as switching links.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,688,860 9/1954 Lambach 6686 2,499,656 3/1950 Leblanc 6686 3,446,039 5/1969 Schmid 6686 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,228,019 11/1966 Germany.

1,050,669 12/1966 Great Britain.

20 RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 66l54 

